The courage of our convictions

Sh’lach L’cha

Numbers 13:1-15:41

Précis: Moses is ordered to “send out” (sh’lach l’cha) spies to examine the land. Princes of each tribe go out, report on its bounty, but also report about its fearsome inhabitants. The People are frightened, and “murmuring” turns to something close to panic. God tells Moses that He will destroy the People, but Moses intercedes; the People are sentenced to spend 40 years in the desert. The parasha then returns to matters concerning the Tabernacle, with a discussion of the offering for unintentional sins. Next, the parasha discusses the wearing of tzitzit, a paragraph which is part of the tradition recitation of the Shema. This is the 27th of 54 parshiot, marking the half-way point in the yearly reading

Numbers 13:1-2 “And Adonai spoke to Moses, saying, ’Send men and let them scout out the land of Canaan that I am giving to the children of Israel; send one man from each tribe, each a prince of his tribe.’”
In our parasha this week, Moses sends out 12 spies to scout out the land. Ten return frightened, while two (Joshua and Caleb) bring back an enthusiastic report, confident that with God’s support, anything could be accomplished. While the others are downcast and frightened, Joshua and Caleb are two leaders guided by faith who can proclaim that, with God’s help, all things are possible while the others demur.


Here is a defining moment of leadership for Joshua and Caleb: all of the other team members disagree on the correct course of action to take. Do they attempt to “reconcile” or come to a meeting of the minds? No, they “know” that the correct course of action is to move forward, and they refuse to allow the majority’s view to stand unopposed.


Sometimes, leaders find themselves in a position where, when they look around, there is no one following. Sometimes it’s because they are leading towards where they should not be going. But at other times, when there is no one following, it’s because the others all fail to realize the importance of the journey, or the importance of the goal which lies ahead.


It’s the toughest moment of leadership anyone can face, because being firm in one’s convictions when one is out on a limb is a challenge which tests our self-confidence and our faith. If we have faith in our experience, skills and ability, we can overcome the challenges we face.